the dead flowers had not been removed and naturally the little life 

 bud under the hard brown husk could not penetrate it. 



I saw much Winter-killed California Privet — miles of it. 



Just why California Privet is given the preference over the 

 much more attractive, more graceful and absolutely hardy Ibota 

 and Regell's privet I cannot understand. Perhaps it is because 

 these Chinese and Japanese species are not very well known, though 

 they should be, for even apart from their great hardiness they are 

 much easier to manage, easier to prune, clip and train than the 

 California natives. 



I saw miles and miles also of Barberry. Indeed, one might 

 suppose we had no other choice but these two. Surely it cannot 

 be that those few withered, forlorn berries are what win the par- 

 tiality of so many amatur gardeners! I would not dream of 

 criticising the over-use of Barberry could I not offer you sugges- 

 tions about shrubs infinitely superior. We have several others that 

 are perfectly splendid, such as Colutea, which is a wonderful hedge 

 shrub, as are Aralia Pentaphylla, the radiant Golden Kerria Japo- 

 nica and Stephanandra, the last two fine and soft as lace and at the 

 same time as enduring as Barberry. 



There are Acacia and Spirea Anthony Waterer which, in the 

 case of Anthony Waterer, may be kept aflower by the simple 

 process of cutting away evenly the whole top after each flowering. 

 In a very short time it will be in bloom again. I saw a glowing 

 hedge of Gruss an Teplitz bush roses over four feet high, bloom- 

 ing untiringly with cheerful and unfailing confidence, and a mar- 

 velous one of Conrad Meyer roses, which was near seven feet high 

 and almost as protective as an entanglement of barbed wire, the 

 scarlet thorns are so fearfully sharp and so amazingly abundant. 



But the most perfect hedge I ever have seen was made with 

 climbing Dr. Van Fleet rose vines. Its ideal foliage is immune 

 from every known rose enemy or blight, and its glistening leaves 

 and long, flexible, coral thorned canes may be trained with but 

 little trouble. A photograph I was shown of this Van Fleet hedge 

 in bloom showed thousands of the flesh pink hybrid-tea form roses 



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